Some of these lessons are short webquests, while others are hands-on activities containing a link to a more detailed lesson plan. Teachers may choose to use individual lessons or the entire coral reef unit. The activities were created by a teacher, two undergraduate students, and a marine science graduate student who worked as a team with National Park Service staff in the Pacific Island Network to create this comprehensive resource on coral reefs.

Coral Reef Basics

Coral Reef Introduction: Draw a Coral Reef - Students draw a picture of a coral reef based on prior knowledge. The teacher will be able to assess what students already know about corals, algae, and the organisms that live on reefs and how the students relate to the reef. This allows the teacher to better understand student preconceptions/misconceptions about coral reefs as well as student connections to reefs.

Coral is an Animal: Polyp Pictures - Students look at close-up photos of coral polyps from a variety of species to examine coral composition. The teacher will ask the students guiding questions to try to identify what is in the pictures.

Answer the following: Define monitoring. Give an example of monitoring that is being done in the coral reef national parks. Define research. Give an example of a research question being studied in the coral reef national parks.

Photoquadrats on a Transect - Students use printed photographs of real coral reef sample areas, called photoquadrats, to quantitatively assess the composition and health of a coral reef.

People and Coral Reefs

Human Interactions with Coral Reefs: Village Role Playing Exercise - In traditional cultures each village or family group needed to provide all the things that its inhabitants required to survive. Traditional cultures also had rules and social roles that facilitated the correct use of resources and encouraged sustainable practices so there would always be plants and animals available for harvest in the future. In this game, the students are assigned roles in a traditional culture and work with their village to provide food, water, and shelter for everyone in the village.

Complete the following task: Write three things land-based activities that can affect coral reefs and explain how each activity can make a reef unhealthy.

Webquest: Corals and Climate Change - Students use web resources to define climate change, give examples of how climate change impacts coral reefs, and describe sources of carbon dioxide and how it can be reduced.

Instructions

First answer the following: Have you heard of climate change or green house gasses? Explain how these could affect the health of coral reefs.

Complete the following tasks: Define climate change. Give an example of how climate change impacts coral reefs. Describe two sources of carbon dioxide and explain how each can be reduced.

Ocean Acidification - As CO2 concentration in the the atmosphere increases, so does its concentration in the ocean. This increased concentration of dissolved CO2 in the water results in elevated ocean acidity. Students use chalk (which simulates coral skeleton) and vinegar (which simulates acidic ocean water) to explore how acid affects calcium carbonate—the basis of coral skeletons.

Assessment

To test student knowledge and depth of understanding of coral reefs, students synthesize information from the Coral Reefs and Climate Change Unit Plan by creating a poster about coral reefs.

Objectives: Students will be able to explain why coral reefs are important. Students will be able to explain how human actions can harm reefs. Students will give examples of ways people can take care of reefs.

Time: Two class periods

Have students create a 11x17 poster about coral reefs. The poster should have three parts:

It should show in pictures and words why coral reefs are important.

It should show in pictures and words at least two examples of how human actions can harm reefs.

It should show in pictures and words at least three ways people can take care of reefs.

The teacher should grade the poster based on the accuracy of the information in each of the three sections. The teacher can also grade for neatness of drawings, clarity of handwriting, correct spelling, etc.